Purpose This study investigated whether maximum speech performance, more specifically, the ability to rapidly alternate between similar syllables during speech production, is associated with executive control abilities in a nonclinical young adult population. Method Seventy-eight young adult participants completed two speech tasks, both operationalized as maximum performance tasks, to index their articulatory control a diadochokinetic (DDK) task with nonword and real-word syllable sequences and a tongue-twister task. Additionally, participants completed three cognitive tasks, each covering one element of executive control (a Flanker interference task to index inhibitory control, a letter-number switching task to index cognitive switching, and an operation span task to index updating of working memory). Linear mixed-effects models were fitted to investigate how well maximum speech performance measures can be predicted by elements of executive control. Results Participants' cognitive switching ability was associated with their accuracy in both the DDK and tongue-twister speech tasks. Additionally, nonword DDK accuracy was more strongly associated with executive control than real-word DDK accuracy (which has to be interpreted with caution). None of the executive control abilities related to the maximum rates at which participants performed the two speech tasks. Conclusion These results underscore the association between maximum speech performance and executive control (cognitive switching in particular).Operation Warp Speed and global vaccine research efforts have succeeded in rapidly launching three vaccine candidates for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into Phase III clinical trials. A recent letter from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Redfield underscored the possibility of "large-scale" distribution of a coronavirus vaccine as early as November 1, 2020. However, recent polling reveals that the majority of Americans remain skeptical of both the safety and efficacy of a potential Covid-19 vaccine. Even more troublesome is the fact that a comprehensive, collaborative vaccine marketing campaign has not been initiated to educate the U.S. public on and encourage widespread Covid-19 vaccination. Accordingly, this article lays out a plan of action, utilizing proven immunization marketing strategies and novel approaches, that could be used to combat vaccine hesitancy toward Covid-19. A vaccine may indeed be our ticket out of this pandemic, but targeted marketing is needed to increase public optimism toward that fact.This study assessed the feasibility of integrating telehealth-assisted home-based specialist palliative care (TH-SPC) into a rural community setting.
This was a prospective mixed-methods pilot study conducted in rural Victoria, Australia. Newly engaged adult patients and their caregivers of a community palliative-care service received video consultations with metropolitan-located specialist palliative-care physicians, alongside standard care. Those eligible patients who failed to receive TH-SPC were treated as a control group upon analysis. Data were collected over three months and at 30 days prior to death. Feasibility outcomes included efficiency of process, user satisfaction, clinical outcome and health-care metrics.
A total of 21 patients completed the study, with an average age of 70.4 years and an average survival of 5.8 months. Fourteen patients received TH-SPC, and seven received standard care alone. Patient-caregiver feedback for TH-SPC showed a high level of overall satisfaction. Compared to standard care, the TH-SPC group demonstrated less functional decline from baseline at two weeks (Australia-modified Karnofsky Performance Status -1.35 vs. -12.30, ?=?0.067) and three months (8.48 vs. -10.79, ?=?0.04) after the intervention. At 30 days prior to death, functional status remained better in the TH-SPC group, with fewer per capita community palliative-care nursing visits (5.46 vs. 9.32, effect size?=?0.7), general practitioner visits (0.13 vs. 3.88, effect size?=?1.34) and hospital admissions (0.02 vs. 0.2, effect size?=?0.65).
TH-SPC was successfully integrated into rural community-based palliative care, with potential benefits in performance status preservation and health-care resource utilisation.
TH-SPC was successfully integrated into rural community-based palliative care, with potential benefits in performance status preservation and health-care resource utilisation.Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between feedback and feedforward control of articulation and voice by measuring reflexive and adaptive responses to first formant (F1) and fundamental frequency (fo) perturbations. In addition, perception of F1 and fo perturbation was estimated using passive (listening) and active (speaking) just noticeable difference paradigms to assess the relation of auditory acuity to reflexive and adaptive responses. Method Twenty healthy women produced single words and sustained vowels while the F1 or fo of their auditory feedback was suddenly and unpredictably perturbed to assess reflexive responses or gradually and predictably perturbed to assess adaptive responses. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/a-83-01.html Results Typical speakers' reflexive responses to sudden perturbation of F1 were related to their adaptive responses to gradual perturbation of F1. Specifically, speakers with larger reflexive responses to sudden perturbation of F1 had larger adaptive responses to gradual perturbation of F1. Furthermore, their reflexive responses to sudden perturbation of F1 were associated with their passive auditory acuity to F1 such that speakers with better auditory acuity to F1 produced larger reflexive responses to sudden perturbations of F1. Typical speakers' adaptive responses to gradual perturbation of F1 were not associated with their auditory acuity to F1. Speakers' reflexive and adaptive responses to perturbation of fo were not related, nor were their responses related to either measure of auditory acuity to fo. Conclusion These findings indicate that there may be disparate feedback and feedforward control mechanisms for articulatory and vocal error correction based on auditory feedback.